How to Transfer Military MOS to Civilian Jobs

Veterans can use civilian terminology to explain military duties.

Your military occupational specialty, or MOS, comes with a job description that outlines the functions of your everyday work within the U.S. Armed Forces. Many MOS require skills that translate to the civilian workforce and make finding a job a simple matter of comparison. By translating the military terms in an MOS job description, you can transfer the requirements of an MOS to match those of a civilian job.

Instructions

1. Use Military.com's Military Skills Translator tool (see Resources) to determine what types of jobs correspond between the military and civilian worlds. Select your branch of service and enter your MOS code. Select your MOS from the search results and read the description thoroughly.

2. Read the second box, entitled "Equivalent Civilian Occupations." Scan the list to learn about civilian jobs that require the same or similar skill sets to what you have learned and performed in the military.

3. Click a result within the list of civilian occupations that interests you. Each link will take you to a complete job description for the civilian occupation you clicked on.

References

• Military.com: Military Skills Translator

Resources

• Military.com; "Relate Your Military Career to the Civilian Job Market"; Jeff Taylor